Toscani cigar machine



S. CLAUSEN TOSCANI CIGAR MACHINE April 14, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 1' Originall Filed May 24, 1956 April 14, 1964 s. cLAUsEN ToscANI CIGAR MACHINE Original Filed May 24, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY s. cLAusEN 3,128,774 TOSCANI CIGAR MACHINE April 14, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed May 24, 1956 ATTO NEY April 14, 1964 s. cLAusEN 3,128,774

TOSCANI CIGAR MACHINE Original Filed May 24, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR SIGURD CLAUSEN MEF* April 14, 1964 s. csLAusl-:N

TOSCANI CIGAR MACHINE 5 sheets-sheet 5 Original Filed May 24, 1956 mvsmon SIGURD CLAUSEN ATroRNEY United States Patent Oliice ma ,I

3,128,774 TOSCANE CIGAR MACHNE Sigurd Ciausen, Brooklyn, NX., assigner to International Cigar Machinery Co., a corporation of New Jersey Original appiication May 24, 1956, Ser. No. 587,168, now

Patent No. 3,033,218, dated May 8, 1962. Divided and this application July 6, 1961, Ser. No. 122,13)

4 Ciaims. (Cl. 131-91) This application is a division of my joint pending application with Victor G. Hanson and Joseph A. Neumair, Serial No. 587,168, filed May 24, 1956, now Patent 3,033,210, subject, Toscani Cigar Machine and claim is made to all of the equitable and legal benefits derivable therefrom.

This invention relates to a machine for making Toscani cigars.

In Toscani cigar machines previously known in the art a number of defects have been present which have seriously interfered with correct forming of the product, rapidity of production and continuous operation without shut-down for cleaning and servicing. The present invention relates to means for eliminating one of these defects, namely the jamming of the transfer mechanism by adhering shreds of tobacco.

One object of the present invention is to provide a machine containing novel features which substantially avoid the above defect of previously known Toscani cigar machines and thereby to produce a machine capable of improved operation at a higher rate of production with a resulting decrease in cost per piece while at the same time improving the quality and uniformity of the product.

Other objects of the invention and advantages to be derived therefrom will become apparent from the detailed description and from the accompanying drawings.

In general the novel features of the present invention which contribute to the attainment of the object described by overcoming the defect of previously known machines are:

(1) An improved arrangement for trimming the final cigar and then knurling the head end of the cigar; and

(2) Means to clean the trimmer knives at the head end to prevent fouling of the knurler.

The invention may be understood from the following description when read with reference to the following drawings, which, taken together disclose a preferred embodiment in which the invention is presently incorporated. It is to be understood, however, that the invention may be incorporated in other embodiments which may be suggested to those skilled in the art by the present disclosure.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the cigar trimming, knurling and delivery mechanism in conjunction with the cigar transfer device which conveys the cigar from the rolling table to the trimming device.

FIG. 2 is an end elevation of gripper fingers of the cigar transfer device;

FIGS. 3 and 4 when joined on line A-A illustrate a front elevation of the cigar trimming, knurling and delivery mechanisms and their actuating means;

FIG. 5 is an end elevation of the cigar trimming mechanism in conjunction with the scrap ejector;

FIG. 6 is an end elevation illustrating the cigar gripping and holding fingers, taken on line 6 6 of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a front elevation of the cigar delivery mechanisms;

FIG. 8 is an end elevation of the same, taken on line 8-8 of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is an end elevation of the sweep plate mechamsm.

The Trimming, Knurling and Delivery Mechanism (FIGS. 1-9 Inclusive) The cigar, after forming, is rolled off the end of the rolling table 194 into the jaws 407 which consist of a pair of supporting fingers 409 working in conjunction with a pair of spring-loaded gripper lingers 411. The gripper jaws 407 are adjustably secured on a horizontal rod 413, held by a lug 412 formed integrally with a transfer member 414, which is at one end pivotally mounted on a stud 416 held by an arm or lever 418 and the other end of said member 414 by means of a stud 420 connected to one end of a link or lever 422' which is pivoted at its other end to the fixed bracket 270. Arm 418 is secured to shaft 424 journaled in a suitable bearing of bracket 270 and carrying at its lower end, the gear 426 which meshes with gear sector 428 pivotally supported on a stud shaft 429 held by bracket 270. The gear sector 428 is provided with an arm 430 which through suitable connecting rod 431 is connected to and actuated by a suitable cam arrangement (not shown).

Oscillation of gear sector 428 causes arm 418, link 422' and link 414 to swing around to the dotted position shown in FIG. 1, which brings the cigar, in reversed position, over the open cradle fingers 432 which are adjustably mounted on a shaft 436. Shaft 436 is supported in a block 438 secured to a shaft 440 which is rotatably mounted in the free end of arm 442 secured to a shaft 450 supported by a bearing bracket 452 mounted on the bed plate of the machine. To shaft 440 is mounted a lever 444 which by means of a rod 448 is connected to a lever 446 also mounted on shaft 450. Rod 448 and levers 444 and 446 act as a parallelogram for the cradle fingers 432 during swinging motion of arm 442. To shaft 450 is mounted furthermore an arm 468 which through a rod 462 is connected to a cam lever 464 pivotally mounted on a stud 466 held by a suitable bracket 467. Cam lever 464 carries a cam roller 465 engaging with a cam 471 mounted on a suitable cam shaft 469.

As the cigar is held by the jaws 407 of the transfer in position above the cradle fingers 432, cam lever 464 effects an upward motion to the same so that the cigar is lifted out of the jaws 407 and supported in cradle fingers 432. The fingers 432 carrying the cigar dwell for a short period above the transfer jaws 407 until the latter move out of the way to their starting position upon which cradle fingers 432 will lower the cigar into a pair of cam actuated gripping ngers 482 loosely supported on a horizontal shaft 483 held by a suitable bracket 485 mounted on the bed plate of the machine. Each gripping finger 482 by means of rods 487 are connected to` a cam arm 489 pivotally mounted on shaft 491. Cam lever 489 carries a cam roller 493 engaging with a cam 495 which effects an opening and closing of gripping fingers 482 mentioned above.

While the cigar is lowered into the cigar fingers 482 the ends of the cigar project beyond the shearing edges 468 of two pairs of spaced trimming knives 470. The shearing knives are adjustably mounted on arms 472 which are pivotally mounted on shaft 483 and are arranged for shearing action, through toggle links 476, by lever 478 and adjustable rod 480 leading to a cam arm 481 loosely mounted on shaft 491. Cam arm 481 carries a cam roller 479 engaging with a cam 477 mounted on a cam shaft 475 to which is also mounted the cam 495 (FIG. 4).

The head of the cigar, which carries the loose end of the wrapper, must be knurled after cutting to assure a smooth finish. However, the sticky nature of the tobacco and the paste which is still not set create a difiiculty in that the trimmings of the cigar tend to adhere to the cutters and thus remain in the path of the knurler. A novel feature of the present invention is a provision for avoiding this dilculty. To this end a plate 434 is mounted adjacent head end knives 470 to swing pivotally about the shaft 483 and is cam actuated through link 434 to reciprocate, in wiping engagement with the knives, to displace the trimmings after the knives have closed, removing them to one side where a resilient leaf spring member 486 engages it and sweeps plate 434 clean, as seen in FIG. 9. Member 486 is held in arm 488 which is arranged to swing about the fixed pivot 490 and which is cam actuated through link 492. Plate 434 remains in its raised position until, knives 47) having reopened, the cigar end is knurled.

The knurling mechanism consists of a knurling head 494 mounted on shaft 496, journaled in the fixed bracket 498, and is maintained in continuous rotation by the V-belt 500 and pulley 503 through bevel gears 501 and 502, belt 500 being driven by shaft 504 and a pulley 506 on shaft 504. The latter in turn is driven Vby another pulley 507 through a belt 509 from a suitable motor (not shown). As soon as the knives 470 have been opened, knurling head 494 is advanced, shaft 496 being slidably mounted in journals 508 and 510 and also being slidable axially but not rotationally relative to the bevel gear 502,. The axial motion of shaft 496 is derived from suitable cam actuation through rod 512, bell crank 514 and collar 516. Rotation of shaft 496 is in the direction tending to tighten the wrapper winding as the knurling head 494 slips over the cigar end.

Rod 512 on its lower end is connected through a stud shaft 523 to an arm 515 loosely mounted on shaft 491. Arm 515' is provided with a cam lever 517 carrying a roller 519 which engages with a cam 521 mounted on a shaft 475. The stud shaft S23 which connects the rod 512 to arm 515 is provided with an extension 525 which engages with the links 484 and 492 which actuate the sweep plate 434 and sweeper arm 48S respectively.

The cigar is now finished and ready to be discharged from the machine.

For this purpose the gripper fingers 482 open and cradle fingers 432 move upward and lift the cigar out of the jaws 482.

The continued upward swing motion of arm 442 in the direction shown in FIG. 7 causes the finished cigar to be transferred to a delivery station as shown in dotted lines in FIG. 7. At this station the cigar engages with a pair of spaced fixed stripper bars 520 mounted on a suitable bracket 518 secured to a plate 519 mounted on bracket 452. After the finished cigar contacts stripper bars 520 the cradle moves slightly downward to permit said cigar to disengage from said cradle 432 and roll onto a suitably curved delivery runway consisting of a pair of rails 524 supported by the plate 519.

What is claimed is:

1. In a Toscani machine having a means adapted to trim the end of a cigar and adjacent knurling means adapted to knurl said end of the cigar, a plate member, a cam and linkage operative to reciprocate said plate member alongside said trimming means to remove adherent trimming therefrom, a further member and means subsequently operative to actuate said further member so that it sweeps across said plate member in engagement therewith, to remove adherent trimming from said plate member.

2. A device substantially as set forth in claim 1 further characterized in that said further member is a resilient leaf spring to provide a springy sweeping motion across said plate member.

3. A Toscani cigar manufacturing machine having a cigar support for holding a cigar for a cigar end cutting operation, said support comprising a pair of cam controlled coacting cigar holding fingers intermediate a first and a second set of spaced cigar end trimmers all in substantial axial alignment, each of said sets comprising a pair of trimming knives, cam controlled links for simultaneously imparting a shearing action to each of said pairs of knives, a plate mounted adjacent a single pair of said pairs of knives, and cam controlled link actuating means for reciprocating said plate to displace the cigar trimmings trimmed by said single pair of knives after the single pair of knives have closed, said machine having a resilient member, and a cam actuated linkage connected to said member to actuate said member into wiping engagement with said plate, to clean said plate after said plate has displaced said trimmings.

4. A machine in accordance with claim 3 having a knurling head mounted on a shaft in substantial axial alignment with said cigar support and said trimmers, and means operating in timed relation with the separation of said knives of said single pair for actuating said knurling head into the opening formed by said separation to knurl an end of said cigar.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 20.441 Clausen July 13, 1937 140,693 Faul July 8, 1873 1,188,549 Marsh June 27, 1916 1,191,199 Marsh et al. July 18, 1916 1,247,736 Stockard Nov. 27, l9l7 1,473,377 Langston Nov. 6, 1923 1,599,962 Halstead Sept. 14, 1926 2,316,828 Wheeler Apr. 20, 1943 2,350,686 Langrish June 6, 1944 2,826,227 Perrelli et al. Mar. 11, 1958 FOREIGN PATENTS 620,056 Germany Oct. l2, 1935 

1. IN A TOSCANI MACHINE HAVING A MEANS ADAPTED TO TRIM THE END OF A CIGAR AND ADJACENT KNURLING MEANS ADAPTED TO KNURL SAID END OF THE CIGAR, A PLATE MEMBER, A CAM AND LINKAGE OPERATIVE TO RECIPROCATE SAID PLATE MEMBER ALONGSIDE SAID TRIMMING MEANS TO REMOVE ADHERENT TRIMMING THEREFROM, A FURTHER MEMBER AND MEANS SUBSEQUENTLY OPERATIVE TO ACTUATE SAID FURTHER MEMBER SO THAT IT SWEEPS ACROSS SAID PLATE MEMBER IN ENGAGEMENT THEREWITH, TO REMOVE ADHERENT TRIMMING FROM SAID PLATE MEMBER. 